Differences on perception of parental role between male athletes and their parents

Ioannis Zarotis, Konstantina Papailia

Abstract

Parents are substantially involved in their children’s sport experiences. They typically make the initial decision to enroll their children in sport and have a significant impact on many of the positive outcomes of their child's sport participation. The primary role of the parent in youth sports is to provide emotional, financial and provisionary support for their children. However, there is a growing concern about the parents’ excessive involvement in sports as it seems that certain aspects of parental involvement are detrimental to the development and experiences of young athlete. The purpose of the present study was to assess the perception of athletes and parents for the parental role in football. The sample was 128 participants (athletes and their parents). They complete a Questionnaire for the Parental Role in Sports with three factors: parental support, parental pressure and athlete’s satisfaction. The results demonstrated statistical significance differences among athletes and parents on factors of pressure and support. Athletes demonstrated less “pressured” and more “supported” than their parents’ perception. The results of the study for parent-child perceptions presents preliminary evidence in support of the notion that parents and their children do not agree on measures of parental pressure and support in their children's sport.